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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26158423">a heart is a heavy burden</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/spiderbishop/pseuds/spiderbishop'>spiderbishop</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCT (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Everyone Is Gay, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Homophobia Doesn't Exist, Howl's Moving Castle AU, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Lee Taeyong-centric, M/M, Magic, Nakamoto Yuta is a disaster bi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, War, jaehyun as lettie, taeyong as sophie, taeyong has low self-esteem, yuta as howl</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 12:55:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,350</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26158423</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/spiderbishop/pseuds/spiderbishop</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Taeyong works in his dead father's hat shop. Everything changes when a witch curses him with a spell that turns him into an old man.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee, Lee Taeyong/Nakamoto Yuta</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>57</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>first of all i wanna thank my wonderful friend em for beta reading this! thank u u did an amazing job, the story wouldn't be the same without ur input!</p><p>now i just wanna say howl's moving castle is one of my favorite movies ever, my writing could never do it complete justice, so if you haven't watched it go watch it, u will love it!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Taeyong was so occupied with his work that he didn't hear the knock on his door.</p><p>"Taeyong, I've closed the shop!"</p><p>He looked to the side, where his employees --daughters of his mother's old friends-- stood, waiting for him.</p><p>"It's fine, you can get going," said the boy with a smile on his face.</p><p>One of the women sighed, "I thought you were coming with us today."</p><p>Taeyong's gaze went back to the hat that now rested on his desk. It was almost finished, it only needed a little bit more work to fix the arrangement of flowers sewed into it.</p><p>He shook his head, "I have to finish this, enjoy your evening."</p><p>"Okay, I'm off then!" said Yeri, the youngest of the women, while gathering her things.</p><p>They forgot to close the door to Taeyong's room, so he was able to listen to their chatting as he went back to work. They were all very sweet, but they had a habit of gossiping and Taeyong had a habit of eavesdropping whenever they started talking.</p><p>"Let's go, girls! Wait, is my dress looking alright?" said Joy, before letting out a dramatic gasp, "Look! Yuta's castle is over there!"</p><p>"The castle? Where?" asked Wendy, "Wow! It's so close!"</p><p>All of the women rushed to the windows to have a better view of the castle moving in the nearby mountains, Taeyong couldn't resist his curiosity and looked through his window as well, the sight of the wizard's castle moving around made his heartbeat speed up. It was much too far away to properly see it, but even from afar Taeyong could tell that it was made from some kind of metal, and it left a trail of smoke behind as it moved. It reminded Taeyong of the train that passed right by his house every morning.</p><p>"Oh my, I wonder if Yuta is in town today..."</p><p>"Have you heard of that young girl, Maria, who lives next town? Her heart was stolen by Yuta."</p><p>"Really? Gosh, I'm scared now..." spoke Joy, her voice becoming almost a whisper.</p><p>Yeri laughed, "Don't worry, he won't go after yours."</p><p>The girls left shortly after, leaving Taeyong alone once again. His house felt so empty without his family living there... Since his father had passed away, Taeyong had been taking care of the hat shop, meanwhile his mother and younger brother ran away from their house as soon as they could. His mother had moved to one of the big cities and his brother had found a job in Cesari's, the most popular bar in town. Taeyong missed them.</p><p>He hadn't seen his brother in a long time, so when he finished the hat he had been working on Taeyong decided to take a little break and go visit Jaehyun, his younger sibling.</p><p>He tried to look presentable, but it was to no avail. His clothes had belonged to his father, and Taeyong was so skinny that they wouldn't have fitted him even if he gained twenty pounds. He decided to just put on a simple hat and be on his way.</p><p>After making sure he had closed the door to the hat shop, Taeyong noticed how busy the street was. The town had always been lively, but lately the people were happier with news of the war ending soon. Happier people meant more people in the streets, and more people in the streets meant more sales. It was a shame that it was closing hours already.</p><p>The boy chose to walk by quieter streets instead of the lively ones, and he was too distracted by his own thoughts when suddenly he walked right into someone. He hit his nose and looked up to see who the hell had been just standing there, waiting until someone like Taeyong bumped into them.</p><p>"Hey, you, little mouse. Are you looking for something?"</p><p>
  <em>Shit.</em>
</p><p>Taeyong just <em>had</em> to bump into soldiers, because<em> of course</em> his luck was terrible.</p><p>His body went completely rigid when one of the men leaned down to be face to face with Taeyong.</p><p>"No, sir. Nothing."</p><p>The soldier smiled, "Then, how about having a cup of tea with us?" </p><p>"No, thank you, sir. I'm in a hurry."</p><p>Taeyong had heard horrible stories about the army from nearby towns --soldiers taking advantage of their strength, stealing and harassing people. Objectively, he knew he had to trust the soldiers, at the end of the day their duty was to protect civilians from the enemy, but when things like that had happened near his town, what would make his town an exception? What would make Taeyong an exception?</p><p>"He really is a little mouse!" said the other soldier getting closer as well, the big mustache on his face curling up as he smiled. </p><p>"Yes... how old are you?" asked the first one, resting one of his big hands on Taeyong's bony shoulder, "You live in this town?"</p><p>Taeyong closed his eyes as he spoke, "Please let me go!"</p><p>He felt the hand on his shoulder tighten its hold and Taeyong knew he had fucked up.</p><p>"You scared him, man. It's because of your mustache."</p><p>"He's so cute when he's angry though."</p><p>Taeyong could feel his eyes start to tear up, he just wanted to be on his way.</p><p>Suddenly, a voice came from behind him, "There you are!"</p><p>A hand reached for his and gently drew him away from the soldier's hold. Taeyong felt like he could breathe again.</p><p>When the boy looked at his savior, he felt his heart do a somersault in his chest. The man was tall and lean, with blonde hair and a charming smile on his lips as he looked at Taeyong. "I was looking everywhere for you!" he said, acting like he knew Taeyong.</p><p>One of the soldiers furrowed his brows, "And who the hell are you?"</p><p>"I'm with him," he spoke, a big smile still on his lips as he addressed the soldiers. "Now, why don't you go for a walk?"</p><p>With a simple movement of his hand, the strange man made the two soldiers turn around and start walking while they yelled different variations of <em>"what's happening?".</em></p><p>Taeyong's breath hitched. <em>A wizard.</em></p><p>"Please forgive them, they didn't mean to hurt you," the wizard said, letting go of Taeyong's hand in favor of linking arms with him --like a couple would. Taeyong blushed at that thought.</p><p>He furiously nodded, trying to hide the pink that was slowly spreading over his face and neck.</p><p>"Where are you going, Mister? Let me escort you for a while," the wizard smiled sweetly again, while he started walking and, consequentially, dragging Taeyong along with him.</p><p>"It's not necessary! I'm just going to Cesari's..."</p><p>Suddenly, the stranger used his free hand to turn Taeyong's head towards him gently, looking the shorter boy in the eyes. Taeyong couldn't pinpoint the color of the wizard's eyes --purple? black, maybe? navy blue?</p><p>"Behave naturally, I'm being followed," and with that, the serious look disappeared from the man's face only to be replaced by another smile. </p><p>Just as the wizard had uttered those words, Taeyong noticed the walls ahead of him... melt? He was not sure, but something black and slimy was coming out of the houses surrounding them. The black blob was everywhere: the floor, the walls, Taeyong was sure that if he looked up he would've seen the substance dripping from the ceilings as well.</p><p>"Sorry, didn't mean to get you involved," the taller man had laughed and swiftly picked up his walking speed as the thing seemed to multiply and take form.</p><p>Taeyong strengthened the hold he had on the stranger's arm.</p><p>The <em>thing</em> looked almost like multiple men now, reaching towards them with their disgusting arms, getting closer and closer by the second. Taeyong didn't think he could possibly get any closer to the other man, but as more and more blob men approached them Taeyong pressed his body to him until there was no space left between the two.</p><p>"Here!" the wizard said as he suddenly jumped and started walking on air. Both of them were walking on air. </p><p>Taeyong was walking on fucking air.</p><p>As they continued walking --more like running in Taeyong's case-- they kept getting higher and higher into the sky, walking above houses and people who had no clue of their situation.</p><p>The smaller boy looked down and almost fainted at the view of such height with nothing to support his feet.</p><p>Taeyong looked at the other man with teary eyes. "What's happening?"</p><p>The wizard took both of Taeyong's hands in his and stroked calming patterns with his thumbs. "Relax. Just keep walking and enjoy the view."</p><p>Strangely, Taeyong did just as he was told. Maybe the wizard had done some kind of magic on him, because all of a sudden Taeyong wasn't scared anymore. Instead, he admired the beautiful scenery in front of him. The tall mountains were so green with vegetation, and the sky was so blue and free of clouds, even the air felt cleaner up there. </p><p>"There you go, no need to be afraid," the taller man whispered in Taeyong's ear, and Taeyong could feel him smiling as his lips brushed the shell of his ear.</p><p>Taeyong never wanted to go back down.</p><p>As they approached Taeyong's destination, the shorter boy admired how small the people looked from up there. No matter who they were, no matter their social status --from that far up all of that didn't matter, they all looked the same.</p><p>Taeyong felt it when they started descending and he desperately wanted to beg the wizard to walk around just a little bit more, but Taeyong knew he had promised himself to meet his younger brother.</p><p>The wizard landed gently on Cesari's veranda, he did it so gracefully it looked almost like he weighed nothing at all.</p><p>"I'll draw them away," he said, looking at Taeyong while still holding his hands. "Wait here until the coast is clear, okay?"</p><p>Taeyong nodded, still dumbfounded by the man's beauty.</p><p>The wizard offered him a kind smile as he started to float away again. He kissed Taeyong's hand before letting go of it. It felt like a goodbye.</p><p>"That's my boy."</p><p>And with that, he was gone.</p><p>Taeyong stood there, looking everywhere his eyes could reach for the man, but he was nowhere to be seen.</p><p>He didn't have to wait long before Jaehyun appeared, out of breath from flying up the stairs all the way to the veranda.</p><p>"Taeyong! Oh my, are you okay? How did you even get in here?" the younger man asked, looking frantically for signs of injury on his brother's face. "Have you become an angel? Is that it? Oh, Taeyong, if you died and became an angel I would be very sad, please don't die."</p><p>Taeyong laughed at his brother's rambling. Jaehyun had taken the beauty and charming personality from his mother, but he hadn't gotten their father's brains, that's for sure.</p><p>Before he could reply, an old man came out from an office next to them.</p><p>"Hi, Jaehyun! Do you need the office to talk privately?"</p><p>Jaehyun turned around and smiled sweetly, "Thank you, but there's no need for that, I should <em>really</em> be working right now."</p><p>"As you wish," replied the man, retreating back into to his office.</p><p>Jaehyun had demanded that Taeyong tell him how he ended up in the veranda of all places, and so he led them to the big storage room where they kept boxes and more boxes containing alcohol of all kinds. Rum, beer, whisky... Cesari's was best known for it's alcohol and for having the prettiest waiters in town, it was no surprise that Jaehyun had scored this job so easily.</p><p>As Taeyong related the events that had happened in the last half an hour, Jaehyun looked at his older brother with the most shocked expression Taeyong had ever seen.</p><p>"So you're telling me," Jaehyun started, "that a mysterious man saved you from soldiers, almost got you dead when you saw those slime men and then <em>flew</em> you here."</p><p>Taeyong nodded, his expression serious. "That's exactly what I'm saying."</p><p>"Are you sure he's not a wizard?"</p><p>Taeyong wanted to tell him that, <em>actually, he was entirely sure that the man was a wizard</em>. But instead he just sighed longingly. "He was so kind..."</p><p>"You can't trust every wizard you meet, Taeyong! What if he was Yuta!? He could have eaten your heart right up! They even say The Witch of the Waste is back on the prowl."</p><p>The oldest scoffed, "Don't worry, Yuta only goes for beauties. If anything you're in more danger than I am!"</p><p>A young lady entered the room, sending a quick smile to Taeyong's brother, "Jaehyun, we need you back in the bar, it's getting busier."</p><p>The girl was tall and slim, probably only 18 or 19 years old and definitely not married. Her long red hair framed her face in a way that made her look like a doll. Taeyong briefly wondered why Cesari's was hiring ladies this young to deal with drunk men and serve on busy nights like these.</p><p>"Thank you Juyeon, you're an angel, I'll be there in a second."</p><p>The girl smiled again and quickly exited the room.</p><p>"I guess it's time for me to go, then." Taeyong said as he got up and headed for the door, his brother following closely behind.</p><p>"I'm so sorry, Taeyong, but the Saturday shift girls are pretty new and they need help with serving, we will see each other more from now on, right?"</p><p>Taeyong sighed, "I don't know, you're so busy here and I'm so busy with the hat shop..."</p><p>A hand suddenly fell on Taeyong's shoulder, stopping him on his tracks.</p><p>"Are you sure you wanna continue working at the hat shop? You spend all day holed up in there, working nonstop." Jaehyun spoke, his voice way more serious than Taeyong had ever heard him.</p><p>"Well I... It meant so much to Papa and I'm the eldest, I should-"</p><p>"Taeyong. Do you really <em>want</em> to be a hatter?"</p><p>The older man couldn't answer that question. The truth was, he <em>wasn't</em> happy working there. He <em>wasn't</em> passionate about hats. He tried to compensate by working overtime and putting all of his free time into it. But what other option did he have? If he didn't keep working there, he would have to close the shop, and it was the last thing he had from his father aside from all of his old clothes. Taeyong wanted a more exciting life, but he was ready to spend it all working at the shop if that meant keeping his father's memory alive.</p><p>"I-" before he could even end his sentence, Taeyong was interrupted by an old woman greeting Jaehyun.</p><p>"Goodbye, come back soon!" he said, ignoring Taeyong.</p><p>"I have to go, see you soon Jae."</p><p>Taeyong started walking away, towards the bus stop that would take him home faster. The older boy knew this was bound to happen. Jaehyun was tall and handsome and charismatic and everyone loved him, meanwhile Taeyong had always been shy and not pretty and was only ever close to his father; they were destined to take different paths in life. If he knew this, why did it bother him so much? </p><p>As he got on the bus --which was packed, as always-- he started thinking back to what had happened that afternoon. How he had walked on nothing and felt freer than ever before. He wished that feeling would've never disappeared.</p><p>The town at night was not a safe place, so Taeyong was glad that he had arrived at the hat shop right as it was getting dark.</p><p>He closed the door behind him as he came into the shop and let himself breathe while lighting up candles to illuminate the place. He needed to collect his thoughts. Maybe a tea would help.</p><p>As he was debating with himself which kind of tea he should make, the doorbell rang, indicating that someone had walked in.</p><p>When he turned around, he saw a tall woman, dressed expensively, right in front of the door.</p><p>"I'm sorry, ma'am, we're closed," he said, his voice sweet, "I thought I had closed the door."</p><p>The woman looked at him with disgust, "What a <em>cheap</em> little shop, full of <em>cheap </em>little hats," she spoke, getting closer to him slowly. "And you're quite <em>cheap-</em>looking yourself."</p><p>Her words were drenched in venom, spoken with the sole purpose of hurting Taeyong.</p><p>Now she could insult him, she could insult his hats, but Taeyong would never let anyone insult the shop, not when everything was right where his father had wanted it to be. The walls were painted in turquoise and there were plenty of mirrors with golden ornaments, it looked exactly like how one would expect a shop in the capital to look like, and Taeyong was damn well proud of that.</p><p>So he stomped his way to the door, held it open and spoke directly to the rude woman, "This is just a simple hat shop. If you don't like it I think you'd better leave."</p><p>A creepy smile appeared on the woman's face, "You're very brave, boy, talking to The Witch of the Waste like that."</p><p><em>The</em> what?</p><p>Suddenly, two blob men appeared right behind Taeyong, and he couldn't help but let out a scream. They truly were hideous. As he turned back to look at the witch, he saw her face morphing into something more sinister, almost inhuman, as she rapidly approached him.</p><p>She was getting closer and closer and Taeyong just closed his eyes and put his arm over is face, trying to protect himself from the imminent impact. </p><p>But the impact never happened. Instead, he felt a rush of air pass him as if it were a tornado, and when he opened his eyes again, The Witch of The Waste was right behind him, in between him and the blob men.</p><p>"You won't be able to tell anyone about that spell," she said, her voice way deeper than it was before. "Good luck with that. Send my best regards to Yuta."</p><p>And in the blink of an eye, she was gone.</p><p>Taeyong closed the door behind him --double-checking it this time, just in case-- and was grateful that things didn't go as bad as they could've gone. At least he wasn't cursed.</p><p>His hat had fallen to the floor with the rush of air, but when he moved to get it, he found his back hurting. And then, right as he picked it up-</p><p>"Huh!?" Taeyong exclaimed, looking at his hands. They were full of wrinkles. What the hell.</p><p>He rushed to the mirror, finding an old man staring back at him instead of his normal reflection. "Huh!?" he said as he ran his hands through his white hair, his eyes roaming his new face, old and full of wrinkles.</p><p>Taeyong stepped out of the room, only to come back in minutes later to see if his reflection had changed at all.</p><p>To his surprise, he was met with the reflection of the same old man, no matter how much he looked, again and again the person in the mirror was not the same Taeyong he was minutes ago.</p><p>
  <em>Huh!?</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Taeyong tried <em>really</em> hard to stay positive. When he saw his face old and wrinkly he had almost cried, partially from shock, partially because his grey hair did not flatter his new face at all.</p><p>But Taeyong stayed positive. He went to sleep and was sure that when the next morning he would wake up and have turned back to a normal young man.</p><p>That did not happen.</p><p>When Taeyong woke up his back hurt as if someone had spent the entire night hitting him with a hammer, and when he walked up to the small mirror hanging on his bedroom wall, he was met with the same image of grandpa Taeyong had become last night.</p><p>As he wrapped himself up with his blankets, wallowing in self-pity, someone knocked on his door.</p><p>"Taeyong?" he recognized his mother's voice as the person talking, "Darling are you awake?"</p><p>"Mother! Don't come in!" he yelled, frantically covering himself with his blanket.</p><p>Leave it to his mother to come visit him at the worst time possible. She had moved to the big city, found a job and a place to stay, and never replied to Taeyong's letters. She was a kind woman, always looking out for Taeyong and his sibling, but she had always had a desire for freedom and a life of luxuries. Taeyong didn't resent her for leaving town and everything in it behind, even if that included him.</p><p>"Why? Are you okay?" her voice was tinted with worry.</p><p>"Oh, um... I've caught an awful cold!" Taeyong lied, adding a fake cough for more credibility.</p><p>"You sound terrible! Like a 90-year-old man!" his mother said, "Oh, darling, I can't possibly get sick right now, I have a big event next week that I <em>absolutely</em> need to attend. I'm sorry, I'll visit you another time!"</p><p>When he finally heard the sound of his mother's heels going down the stairs, Taeyong let out a deep breath he didn't even know he was holding.</p><p>He couldn't stay there. It was only a matter of time before someone would come check up on him and discover his new appearance, and no one would actually believe he had been cursed even if he told them. In fact, Taeyong was pretty sure that he wouldn't even be able to tell anyone he was cursed. So, he did what any other 25-year-old 90-year-old man would've done: he ran away from home.</p><p>Taeyong didn't want to abandon his hat shop, but he had to find The Witch of the Waste and make her turn him back to his normal age.</p><p>He packed a small bag with his things, made himself a sandwich (just in case he got hungry along the way) and grabbed his hat, giving himself a last look in the mirror.</p><p>"You'll be fine, grandpa," he spoke to himself, a smile on his lips which added even more wrinkles to his face. " You're still healthy. And at least these old clothes finally fit you."</p><p>And with that, he went on his way. He made sure to get out of the house by the back door so no one would see him, and he walked towards the busiest street in town, looking for someone who would take him to the mountains where all the witches and wizards lived.</p><p>He was lucky and found a farmer and his son who lived right next to the Folding Valley, and Taeyong asked them to take him along.</p><p>"Sure, old man, but where are you off to?" the farmer asked, helping him to get up on the big carriage, right beside the bags of flour the men were transporting.</p><p>Taeyong offered the mad a kind smile, "Just a bit farther than where you're going."</p><p>The ride was peaceful. Taeyong had never traveled this far on carriage. His town seemed so small when looked at from the mountains, it was kind of impressing. He could see the train passing, as it did every single morning at 11 pm sharp. For the first time in years he was outside of his room when the train passed, who would've thought that Taeyong needed to be cursed and become a 90-year-old man in order to get a vacation.</p><p>When the carriage stopped in front of a small house, Taeyong knew it was his time to get off.</p><p>A kind woman --the farmer's wife, Taeyong supposed-- helped him get down from where he was sitting.</p><p>"I don't recommend it, sir," the farmer said as Taeyong started to walk away. "Nothing but wizards and witches ahead."</p><p>"Thank you, but I'll be fine!"</p><p>Taeyong could hear the wife talking to her husband, "Why is he going to the Folding Valley?"</p><p>"I don't know, says he wanted to visit his sister who lives there."</p><p>Taeyong smiled and kept walking, but after a while he could feel the fatigue starting to get to him, his body wasn't as agile as it had been before. Still, he was determined to find someone who would help him, so he continued walking uphill, even when his legs felt like they were going to fall off.</p><p>His stomach started grumbling with hunger, so he stopped for a bit to have lunch.</p><p>"Thank god I still have my teeth," he said, taking a bite from his meal.</p><p>Taeyong was glad he had brought a sandwich with him, because otherwise he would have been left starving. He admired the scenery as he ate; he had always preferred the quiet mountains over the lively town anyways.</p><p>When he finished his sandwich, he noticed a big wooden stick coming out from one of the nearby bushes.</p><p>"That would make a perfect cane!"</p><p>Taeyong walked towards the stick and rolled up his sleeves. He grabbed it with both hands and pulled, but the stick seemed to be stuck. Taeyong wasn't the kind of person to just give up though, he hadn't given up when his father died and he had to take care of the shop, he hadn't given up when a witch turned him into an old man and he sure as hell was <em>not</em> giving up just because a stick was being stubborn.</p><p>So Taeyong pulled, and pulled, and kept pulling with all of his strength until <em>finally</em> the stick seemed to give in and break free from the bush. Except, it was not a stick.</p><p>It was a scarecrow. And a poorly made one, at that. It was way taller than any scarecrow Taeyong had ever seen before, wearing a top hat and what looked to be a worn-out suit jacket. With a little bow on the neck and everything. But most importantly, it was standing on his own.</p><p>"A scarecrow, huh?" Taeyong said, a smile on his lips, "You scared me, I thought you were working for the witch! How are you standing on your own though?"</p><p>Taeyong knew that talking to a scarecrow in the middle of a mountain wasn't exactly the brightest idea, but he was bored and lonely. And besides, talking to himself was something Taeyong did quite often.</p><p>Taeyong must have been hallucinating because he could've sworn he just saw the scarecrow smile. The scarecrow was smiling. Taeyong blinked several times, thinking that the scarecrow would no longer be there when he'd re-open his eyes. But it was.</p><p>If Taeyong had to keep seeing magical stuff, he might as well get used to it. So instead of freaking out like he would've done in literally any other situation, he kept his cool.</p><p>"Your head is a turnip," he spoke, looking at the tall scarecrow in the eyes, "I've always hated turnips. At least you're not upside down anymore. Goodbye."</p><p>He turned around and started walking again, getting closer and closer to the valley with each step.</p><p>For a while, it was only him and the cold wind chilling his bones. It was getting dark and Taeyong was growing tired, regretting having gotten out of his bed at all.</p><p>But it was fine, Taeyong could endure it.</p><p>When he turned around to see how far he had gotten since he started walking, he saw the scarecrow jumping its way towards him. Taeyong rubbed his eyes closed, almost certain that his eyes were playing tricks on him. But there it was, jumping towards Taeyong with something in its hand and a big smile on its turnip face.</p><p>"Don't follow me!" Taeyong yelled, his voice getting carried by the wind. "You don't owe me a thing!"</p><p>Taeyong sighed, "You must be a magic whatever-you-are, and I've had enough of witches and spells."</p><p>The scarecrow seemed to stop for a second, as if it was listening to Taeyong.</p><p>"Just go and stand wherever you like, please."</p><p>Taeyong sounded defeated, but honestly, he was. He was tired and his legs hurt and he just wanted to go back home, but he had gotten too far now to go back.</p><p>He turned back around and kept walking, he didn't the have time to stand around talking to a stupid scarecrow.</p><p>As soon as he started walking, he heard the <em>thump</em> sound the scarecrow made as he jumped again. Taeyong rolled his eyes.</p><p>The wind was so strong he was scared he would lose his hat, and his legs were begging for him to stop. Taeyong rested his wrinkled hand on a big rock nearby as he panted, out of breath.</p><p>The scarecrow finally caught up with him and stood patiently next to him as Taeyong rested.</p><p>When Taeyong finally looked in the scarecrow's direction, it dropped something on the floor, right in front of Taeyong, as if it was saying 'take it'.</p><p>It was a cane. The scarecrow had brought him a cane.</p><p>Taeyong smiled as he took it, it was the perfect length for him.</p><p>"Thank you," he told <em>the</em> scarecrow, and Taeyong could've sworn the scarecrow was blushing.</p><p>Taking advantage of the scarecrow's kindness, Taeyong came up with an idea to make it stay away from him for good.</p><p>"I'm sorry for asking, but while you're at it, could you bring me a house to stay at?" he said, giving his best puppy eyes.</p><p>The scarecrow smiled and started jumping the other direction. Even as an old man, Taeyong's puppy eyes were impossible to say no to.</p><p>Taeyong smiled as he saw the strange scarecrow jumping away, earnest to help Taeyong. He almost felt bad.</p><p>"Must be true what they say, you really <em>do</em> get more cunning with age," spoke Taeyong while hitting the road again, proud of himself.</p><p>The cold wind was unforgiving, and while the cane did help him walk better, there was no remedy for the cold that was settling on his bones. If he continued on like this, he would die of hypothermia by the end of the night. </p><p>Watching the sunset over the mountains was a beautiful view, but with the sun completely gone, so was Taeyong's only source of warmth and light.</p><p>Feeling defeated, Taeyong sat down on the ground, watching the town's lights from afar.</p><p>He had given his all, and still failed. Right now, he just wanted to sleep. His mind wandered back to the nights Jaehyun and him spent awake as children, climbing up to their house's rooftop to simply look at the stars. He remembered when his brother and him had argued over which parent was better, with Jaehyun siding with his mom and Taeyong with his dad. <em>"Mom buys us sweets and makes us clothes!" </em>Jaehyun had said back then. <em>"But dad reads to us before bed!" </em>Taeyong had replied, eager to defend his father. "<em>Sweets are better than books, dummy."</em> Jaehyun had hit his arm playfully. It still hurt, Jaehyun never knew how to control his strength. <em>"Whatever, mom likes you better anyway Jae."</em></p><p>As he was thinking about his childhood, a familiar smell hit his nose.</p><p>"Smoke?" Taeyong asked himself as he got up. "Maybe there's a cabin nearby!"</p><p>Taeyong started walking with renewed energy, getting closer and closer to the source of the smell.</p><p>As he approached the top of a hill, he saw a trail of smoke. Smiling, Taeyong walked to the top of that hill, and that's when he saw it.</p><p>An enormous machine, with the appearance of a metal monster, heading directly towards him. And right behind it was the scarecrow jumping happily.</p><p>"Turnip!? Isn't this Yuta's castle!?" he yelled, "This is hardly what I meant when I asked for shelter!"</p><p>The scarecrow kept jumping towards him with a smile on its face.</p><p>Yuta's castle didn't look like a castle at all. It was disgustingly ugly and it made metallic noises as it moved. Who came up with that name in the first place? </p><p>The castle stopped right above them, opening its... mouth? At least it looked like a mouth as it screeched. Immediately after that, the castle continued on its way. Taeyong noticed a door right below the castle as it passed past him.</p><p>"Is that the way in?" Taeyong asked Turnip, who jumped towards it in response, as if it was showing Taeyong the way.</p><p>Taeyong started running towards it, but his old legs weren't as fast as they had once been, and he could hardly keep up with the castle's speed.</p><p>"Just wait up!"</p><p>Finally, he reached out towards one of the metallic bars next to the door, and he grabbed onto it. Right when he finally got a hold of the castle, it seemed to speed up.</p><p>"Are you going to let me in or not, you stupid castle!?"</p><p>As if it had been listening, the castle slowed a bit, making Taeyong land on the small platform that held the door and making him lose his hat in the way. He watched it as it flew away.</p><p>"My hat!" he yelled, but right as he uttered those words, Turnip jumped its way to where the hat had landed and picked it up, returning to Taeyong with a smile on its turnip head.</p><p>Taeyong opened the door to the castle slowly, being met with the sight of a barely lit room and a number of steps leading up to it. It was dead silent, and Taeyong almost chickened out for a second. But then, he looked back at the scarecrow who had worked so hard to find him a place to stay at and decided that whatever awaited him inside of Yuta's castle was better than sleeping on the cold mountains.</p><p>"It seems warm enough inside, I'm going in!" he told Turnip, as it handed him his hat back. "Thank you! don't worry about me, even Yuta wouldn't want an ancient heart like mine."</p><p>Turnip was still jumping behind the castle, seemingly making sure that Taeyong would get inside safe and sound.</p><p>"This time is really goodbye! You may be a turnip, but you're a good turnip! I hope you find happiness!"</p><p>And with that, Taeyong mustered up the courage to enter the castle.</p><p>As soon as he was inside, the door slammed shut behind him and darkness engulfed him.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As soon as Taeyong entered the castle, the noises from the wind and the machinery outside were gone, the only sound being the faint crackling of a fire faded into the background.</p>
<p>The fire was also the only source of light, a warm orange illuminating the wooden floor.</p>
<p>Taeyong climbed the stairs that led to the first floor, careful to not make any sound.</p>
<p>His legs hurt from walking, so Taeyong decided to take a seat in a small chair right in front of the fireplace. It was so warm inside, the complete opposite of the unforgiving cold wind that blew outside of the castle.</p>
<p>Taeyong made himself comfortable on the chair, taking off his shoes and putting his feet up on the fireplace to warm them up.</p>
<p>No one seemed to be home, which allowed Taeyong to take a look around the house from his seat. It was a mess. The only table around was filled to the brim with dirty dishes, the floor was full of various pieces of paper thrown everywhere. He was pretty sure that what he had just seen a spider moving on the floor. And, to top it all off, it had dust all over, as if the place hadn't been cleaned in years. Whoever this Yuta was, he wasn't exactly a clean guy.</p>
<p>The fire was starting to die out, almost as if it was falling asleep too, so Taeyong took the liberty of throwing more wood into the pile that was already burning.</p>
<p>He yawned, feeling tired as the adrenaline wore off. "The good thing about getting old is that nothing surprises you anymore."</p>
<p>As the fire became a little bigger and provided more warmth, Taeyong closed his eyes, comfortable in his little chair and feeling warm for the first time in a long day.</p>
<p>"That's some weird spell you're under."</p>
<p>Taeyong's eyes flew open, looking around frantically for the source of the voice.</p>
<p>"Right here, dumbass."</p>
<p>He followed the direction of the voice, which was right into the fireplace. That's when he noticed. The fire had a face. Well, more like eyes and a mouth, both so cartoonish that Taeyong had to take a closer look to see if they really were there.</p>
<p>"The fire is talking," he mumbled. "The fire is talking!" he repeated, this time almost screaming.</p>
<p>"It won't be easy to break," the fire continued, ignoring Taeyong, "and it looks like you can't tell anyone about it either, huh?"</p>
<p>Taeyong stared at it until he came to a realization. The fire was talking, which meant that it was magic, and it seemed to be the only thing living in the castle, therefore maybe making it its castle.</p>
<p>"You're Yuta?" Taeyong asked.</p>
<p>The fire smiled and became bigger, getting closer and closer to Taeyong.</p>
<p>"Wrong! I'm the fire demon, Doyoung!" the fire said, small blue flames coming out of its --<em>his</em> mouth as he spoke.</p>
<p>Taeyong smiled as sweetly as he could, "Well, Doyoung, can you break the curse I'm under?"</p>
<p>"Sure, if you break the spell that binds me to this place," the demon stated, his voice getting louder and louder as he spoke, "I'll break your curse in a second."</p>
<p>"In other words, bargain with a demon," Taeyong said. "Are you sure you can keep that promise?"</p>
<p>"Demons don't make promises!" replied Doyoung, sounding almost offended.</p>
<p>"Then I suggest you look elsewhere."</p>
<p>He knew better than to involve himself with a demon, anyway. They were powerful allies, but even more powerful enemies. And besides, Taeyong had dealt with more than enough magic already.</p>
<p>"But I'm an exploited demon!" Doyoung's flame became bigger, smaller flames in the shape of arms coming out of the burning wood making pleading gestures as he spoke, "I'm chained here by a contract with Yuta, who works me to death! I'm the one who keeps this castle moving."</p>
<p>Taeyong considered himself an empathetic person, but at that moment --after an entire day of walking and the emotional stress of coming to terms with his old age-- he couldn't bring himself to care about the demon's problems. He just wanted to sleep. So he did.</p>
<p>He closed his eyes slowly. "Oh my, you've really got it rough."</p>
<p>Waves of exhaustion crashed over him, slowly but surely drowning out the demon's voice as he continued to tell Taeyong his sob story, and soon enough Taeyong was asleep, warm and comfortable.</p>
<p>The feeling of comfort hadn't lasted long, because Taeyong woke up with the worst neck pain he had ever felt. Maybe he shouldn't have chosen to fall asleep in a chair.</p>
<p>The man felt his neck bones crack as he moved his head, and he felt better after that. While he rubbed his neck, easing the pain, the doorbell rang.</p>
<p>As he debated whether or not he should go get the door, Taeyong heard a door opening from the floor above, and he immediately pretended to be asleep.</p>
<p>Light footsteps made their way down the stairs from the first floor, and stopped right beside where Taeyong was sleeping.</p>
<p>"Who's this?" whoever was talking, they were awfully close to Taeyong.</p>
<p>"Mark, someone's calling from Porthaven!" spoke Doyoung.</p>
<p>"When did he get in?" Mark mumbled. Taeyong could hear the sound of his feet rushing towards the door.</p>
<p>He heard several <em>clicks, </em>and then a door opening. </p>
<p>"Why, Mayor, sir," said a voice, different from Mark's high-pitched one, but not quite a man's voice. It almost sounded like a kid trying to imitate the voice of an adult.</p>
<p>"The sun is already high," a different man spoke. "Is Master Jenkins home?"</p>
<p>Taeyong couldn't resist his curiosity and opened his eyes, looking over at the door, where two figures stood. A small one covered by a cape, and a big man dressed expensively standing outside. The big man had a mustache, perfectly groomed and still even as he talked. Taeyong thought it didn't suit the man at all.</p>
<p>"No, sir, the Master is out. But I answer in his stead"</p>
<p>The man with a mustache handed the smaller figure an envelope. "An invitation from his Majesty. It has come to war. His Majesty desires every wizard and magician, even the witches, to aid our homeland. His presence is imperative. That is all."</p>
<p>Taeyong got up from his little chair and grabbed some more wood to throw at Doyoung as he eavesdropped --the fire was almost dead from the lack of wood.</p>
<p>"War, how awful," Taeyong whispered shaking his head.</p>
<p>The front door closed and the small figure climbed up the stairs once again, now Taeyong could see him up front. The man had a long beard, and his whole body was covered in a big cape with only his face revealed, wide and wrinkly. It looked cartoonish, the way a child would imagine an elder to be.</p>
<p>"And who might you be?"</p>
<p>Taeyong shrugged. "Doyoung let me in."</p>
<p>The demon, who had previously stayed hidden under the wood, came out just to scream at Taeyong. "No I didn't! He wandered in from the Wastes!"</p>
<p>"The Wastes?" the man said as he took off his cape, his beard disappearing and revealing a young kid underneath it.</p>
<p>The boy had big eyes and messy brown hair, he couldn't have been much older than twelve or thirteen. </p>
<p>"That's strange," the boy continued, rummaging through the mess on the table until he found a book, opening it and reading it while he spoke to Taeyong. "You're not a wizard are you?"</p>
<p>"A wizard would never be able to get in!" Doyoung said, sounding offended.</p>
<p>Taeyong chuckled at the demon's words. He was pretty sure that anyone could have come into the castle and Doyoung wouldn't have had the power to stop them.</p>
<p>Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.</p>
<p>"Porthaven again!" the demon yelled.</p>
<p>Mark put his cape back on, his beard growing back immediately. The boy ran towards the door opening it a bit to see who was outside and closing it back a second later.</p>
<p>Taeyong got closer tho the young boy, who was currently trying to take off his cloak frantically. </p>
<p>"Um, what are you doing," the old man asked.</p>
<p>Mark just shushed him as he returned to his normal appearance, throwing the cloak to the floor as he brushed his hair with his hands. The boy cleared his throat before opening the door again, revealing a young boy waiting patiently outside.</p>
<p>"State your purpose," Mark said, trying to sound solemn.</p>
<p>The other boy went silent for a second before replying, "Um, mom sent me?"</p>
<p>Taeyong almost laughed at the ridiculous situation, but he refrained from doing so when he saw Mark's serious expression as he listened to what the younger kid was saying as if it was the most important thing in the world. <em>Ah, young love.</em></p>
<p>"The usual spell?" </p>
<p>The customer nodded. He was around the same age as Mark, his skin tanner and his clothes cleaner. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet, clearly just as nervous as Mark.</p>
<p>"Come in, Donghyuck," Mark turned around climbing up the stairs with Donghyuck trailing behind. "Behave yourself and don't touch anything."</p>
<p>The customer stared at Taeyong when he finally saw the man. Taeyong smiled at him, and then he noticed the view outside of the window.</p>
<p>His body had moved on its own, approaching the window almost as if he was possessed.</p>
<p>The sun shined brighter than it had ever shined in Taeyong's house, the sky blue without a clous in sight. What really interested Taeyong was neither the sun nor the sky, but the ocean. The water sparkled, and it was such a beautiful shade of blue. He had never seen the ocean before. Taeyong's breath was taken away.</p>
<p>"This is definitely not the Wastes," he whispered, still shocked from the beauty of the view.</p>
<p>Donghyuck walked up to him, grabbing a handful of Taeyong's sleeve and pulling down on it to get Taeyong's attention. "Are you a wizard too, Mister?"</p>
<p>Taeyong turned around and smiled, getting closer to the young boy.</p>
<p>"That's right, kid, I'm the scariest wizard in the land!"</p>
<p>The boy laughed at Taeyong's words, letting go of his sleeve.</p>
<p>Mark approached them while holding a small bag in his hands. "Sprinkle this powder on your ship and the winds will favor it."</p>
<p>Donghyuck took the bag and placed some coins on Mark's palm, their hands touching briefly. Both boys blushed furiously at the contact.</p>
<p>"Thank you, I'll be back next week!" Donghyuck said hurriedly, turning around and heading for the door. Mark and Taeyong followed behind, watching as Donghyuck opened the front door.</p>
<p>The tan boy looked back one last time and smiled at Mark, saying goodbye.</p>
<p>Immediately after the door closed behind the boy, Mark turned around towards Taeyong, his face still red.</p>
<p>"I can't have you making up things."</p>
<p>Mark picked up his cloak from the floor. "You should give up that disguise, Mark."</p>
<p>"It's not a disguise! It's magic!" argued Mark, his hands clenching into fists and his cheeks puffing out.</p>
<p>"I'm sure Donghyuck likes you better without your disguise, though. Isn't that the reason why you don't wear it around him?</p>
<p>"Shut up! That's not true!"</p>
<p>As they fought, Doyoung's voice yelled again. "Someone's knocking from the Kingsbury door!"</p>
<p>Mark sighed in defeat. "Coming!"</p>
<p>As he put his disguise on again, a colorful circle that Taeyong hadn't noticed before moved on its own when Mark turned a lever around. It had four colors --green, blue, red and black-- an arrow pointing up, signaling the color that it had changed to.</p>
<p>Mark opened the door again, meeting face to face with a soldier. </p>
<p>"Is this the residence of the Great Wizard Nakamoto?" the soldier asked.</p>
<p>"It is, indeed," replied Mark, his squeaky voice replaced by a fake deep voice.</p>
<p>"I bring an invitation from His Majesty," said the soldier as he gave Mark an expensive-looking envelope. "Please inform Master Nakamoto that his presence is required at the palace."</p>
<p>Mark gave a curt nod, "Thank you, sir."</p>
<p>Taeyong's curiosity won over his common sense, and so he stood right behind Mark, looking at what was outside the door. As the soldier turned around and left, Taeyong was met with the breathtaking view of a busy street in the capital. The buildings were unbelievably tall and colorful, machines flying in the sky and people riding carriages that were probably worth more than all of Taeyong's belongings together.</p>
<p>A city fit for a king.</p>
<p>As he stepped outside, mesmerized by the luxury of the city, Taeyong heard Mark's voice calling for him.</p>
<p>"Get back inside or you'll lose your nose!"</p>
<p>Scared that it would actually happen, Taeyong hurried back inside and closed the door behind him.</p>
<p>"We're no longer in the Wastes," Taeyong said, still confused.</p>
<p>Mark sighed in annoyance, "Of course we aren't. The castle is magic, we can move around with that circle over there."</p>
<p>The boy signaled to the small lever and the big circle next to the door. Examining the lever closely, Taeyong noticed that you could move it in four directions, signaling the four colors painted in the circle. Right now they found themselves in the red part. Kingsbury.</p>
<p>Taeyong turned the lever to the left, the color that the small arrow inside the circle signaled was blue now. When Taeyong opened the door, he was met with the smell of the sea and the sight of the small town neighboring it from earlier. Porthaven.</p>
<p>"That's enough, old man, I'm going to get really mad," warned the young boy.</p>
<p>He ignored Mark and turned the lever to the left again, the arrow now signaling green. And when he opened the door, he was met with the sight of the Folding Valey right there, as if they had been there the entire time. The Wastes.</p>
<p>"Where does the black one take us?" Taeyong said, turning the lever to the left one more time.</p>
<p>Right before he could open the door, a panicked Mark threw himself in between Taeyong and the door.</p>
<p>"No!" he yelled, his eyes big and his face pale, almost like he had seen a ghost. "Only Master Yuta knows, but he ordered to never go there, under any circumstance!"</p>
<p>Taeyong retreated a bit, his hands up. </p>
<p>Mark's stomach growled hungrily. "I'm gonna make myself some breakfast."</p>
<p>The boy went up the stairs into the living room again, and Taeyong followed his footsteps slowly --climbing stairs wasn't an easy thing to do when you were old.</p>
<p>Rummaging through the mess on the wooden table, Mark found himself a piece of bread and some cheese, and he cleaned a spot to sit on by carelessly throwing random stuff on the floor.</p>
<p>Taeyong looked around and found a basket full of eggs and pieces of bacon. "Why are you eating that when you have perfectly good meat over here?"</p>
<p>Mark shrugged, "Master Yuta says I can't cook anything while he's away."</p>
<p>A gasp left Taeyong's mouth involuntarily.</p>
<p>"No wonder you're so skinny! A growing boy needs to eat some meat to become tall! I'll cook for you."</p>
<p>Taeyong grabbed a frying pan and a couple of eggs and some pieces of bacon, approaching the fire.</p>
<p>"But you can't, Doyoung only obeys Master Yuta," spoke Mark, munching on his bread as he talked.</p>
<p>The demon suddenly rose from inside the wood he had been burning, "That's right, I won't cook for you. I'm Doyoung, the demon of fire, I won't obey the orders of a stupid human!"</p>
<p>Taeyong paid him no mind as he simply rolled up his sleeves, getting everything ready to start making breakfast.</p>
<p>"Alright, Doyoung, be a good fire now, okay?" Taeyong smiled sweetly at the fire, placing the frying pan above him.</p>
<p>"Forget it, I'm a demon!" said Doyoung, his flame becoming bigger as he became angrier. "I answer to no one!"</p>
<p>Taeyong smiled again, "You will cook for us, or I'll pour water over you." Then, he leaned closer to the fire, whispering, "Or would you rather have me tell Yuta about our bargain from last night?"</p>
<p>Doyoung seemed surprised for a second, but then he rolled his eyes, "I should've never let this old man in."</p>
<p>The demon finally submitted to the frying pan, becoming a small fire now, the perfect temperature to cook with.</p>
<p>Taeyong cracked an egg with one hand into the pan, watching as it cooked slowly.</p>
<p>"There, there, that's a good fire," he said, making fun of the fire demon.</p>
<p>"Stop it or I'll burn your food!" Doyoung yelled, his voice muffled. Taeyong knew his threats were empty.</p>
<p>As he threw the first piece of bacon into the pan, he heard a small <em>click</em>. And then, he heard the door opening.</p>
<p>Mark's face lit up immediately, getting up from his seat.</p>
<p>"Master Yuta! You're home!"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Master Yuta! You're home!"</p><p>Taeyong looked up, finding a beautiful man standing by the door.</p><p>His breath hitched as soon as their eyes met. Taeyong <em>knew</em> this man.</p><p>He would recognize the wizard anywhere. Yuta's blonde hair covered part of his face, and he proceeded to tuck some strands behind his ear, revealing his dark eyes. Taeyong couldn't help but smile at the man, remembering the way he had saved Taeyong from the blob men, and the way he had felt as they flew together just days ago.</p><p>Judging by the wizard's surprised expression, he didn't recognize Taeyong.</p><p>"You're so obedient, Doyoung," Yuta said softly, taking off his jacket as he approached him.</p><p>Taeyong hadn't noticed at first, but Yuta was covered in soot stains, and he smelled like smoke and gunpowder.</p><p>Doyoung's flame immediately found its way from underneath the frying pan that Taeyong was using. "He bullied me!"</p><p>Yuta chuckled, "That's not an easy thing to do."</p><p>"And who exactly are you?" The wizard looked straight at Taeyong, a charming smile on his tired face. </p><p>Taeyong panicked. He couldn't have possibly told him about the curse the Witch of the Wastes had placed on him, and he couldn't just say he had decided to stay there just because --even if that was exactly what had happened. So, Taeyong lied.</p><p>"Uh, I'm Taeyong. You see, I'm your new cleaning lady!"</p><p>Yuta just smiled and took the frying pan from Taeyong, placing his big hand over Taeyong's wrinkly one while doing so.</p><p>Taeyong's heart skipped a beat at the sudden contact, but he let Yuta take the lead and cook himself.</p><p>The wizard asked for more eggs and bacon, and Taeyong happily obliged. He cracked the eggs with one hand and fed Doyoung the shells, the demon munching happily.</p><p>After a couple seconds of silence, Yuta spoke again. "Who hired you to clean?"</p><p>"I hired myself!" Taeyong started, smiling, "I have never seen such a filthy house, who would ever think two capable young men lived here with all of this mess? You young people don't care about this, but when you're my age you really value tidiness!"</p><p>Yuta looked at him with a raised eyebrow and a playful smile on his lips.</p><p>"Mark, pass me some plates."</p><p>The young boy did what he was told, running around the room to fetch some clean plates from the most bizarre places. He gave the plates to the wizard, his eyes big as he looked at the man.</p><p>As Yuta put a good amount of food on each plate, Doyoung rose, becoming a big flame and crossing his arm.</p><p>"This is not fair, you're all ganging up on me!" Doyoung whined, "Doyoung do this, Doyoung do that, but never 'thank you, Doyoung'."</p><p>Taeyong rolled his eyes at the demon's words.</p><p>"Taeyong, come join us," Yuta said, sitting down on a wooden chair next to Mark.</p><p>The old man took the other chair and sat down.</p><p>Mark quickly threw to the floor a bunch of books that were lying around on the table, making space for Yuta and Taeyong. The table was dirty with layers of dust and crumbs the men hadn't cleaned. Taeyong wasn't lying when he had said this was the filthiest house he had ever seen.</p><p>Suddenly, Mark placed two forks and one spoon --al of them dirty and rusty-- in front of Taeyong's face.</p><p>"Pick one!" the boy had a smile on his face as he spoke, "Everything else is dirty."</p><p>Taeyong picked one of the forks, but he knew that it would have been more hygienic to eat with his bare hands instead.</p><p>"Master Yuta, a letter arrived in Porthavern. And another one came from Kingsbury," Mark said as he ate some cheese. Taeyong needed to teach the boy some manners immediately.</p><p>Yuta nodded, "Today is Monday, right? Did Donghyuck come by today?"</p><p>Mark's face immediately reddened, and he avoided Yuta's gaze.</p><p>"No he didn't," the young boy mumbled, going back to eating his breakfast.</p><p>"Yes he did! He came by and Mark blushed!" Doyoung exclaimed from his place on the fireplace, teasing the boy, "Mark has a crush! Mark has a crush!"</p><p>"No I don't! Taeyong, tell him it's not true!"</p><p>"Oh, isn't it? Then why did you act all shy around him?" Taeyong teased as well, joining forces with the demon.</p><p>Mark pointed his spoon towards the old man, "Stop lying! That's not true!"</p><p>Right as Taeyong was about to reply, Yuta let out a deep laugh, effectively shutting everyone up.</p><p>When he finally stopped laughing, the magician looked at Taeyong.</p><p>"You're gonna fit right in."</p><p>Taeyong blushed at the wizard's words, feeling shy all of a sudden.</p><p>He <em>finally</em> started eating his breakfast, satisfied with how everything tasted. He never knew bacon and eggs could taste this good, and it was probably thanks to Doyoung who had cooked it at the perfect temperature. Taeyong had to remember to thank the demon later.</p><p>"I haven't had a real breakfast in so long!" spoke Mark, his mouth filled with half-munched bacon. <em>Ew.</em></p><p>Taeyong felt bad for the kid. It seemed like Yuta wasn't home often, and his only company was the fire demon and the customers who came by every day. No wonder the house was a mess, a young boy like Mark wouldn't be able to clean everything up even if he wanted to, and Yuta seemed more preoccupied with going from town to town stealing pretty girls hearts. And by the looks of it, Mark absolutely idolized everything Yuta did, bright-eyed and eager to listen to his Master's stories whenever he came home.</p><p>Suddenly, Yuta looked at him with his big eyes and his charming smile.</p><p>"What's that in your pocket, Taeyong?"</p><p>"Huh?" Taeyong asked, confused, as he put his hands inside his pockets, "There's nothing in my-"</p><p>But there <em>was</em> something in his pocket. A piece of paper that had not been there before.</p><p>He took it out of the pocket, revealing a strange drawing inked on it.</p><p>"Let me see," Yuta opened his hand, making a grabbing motion so Taeyong would give him the paper.</p><p>Taeyong did what he was told to do, but as soon as the paper touched Yuta's skin the magician let out at a yell, taking his hand away immediately as the paper fell on the table. Mark and Taeyong looked at it in shock as it sizzled and burned until the paper was gone, and the same mark drawn on it had been engraved on the wooden table.</p><p>"It burned into the table, Master Yuta!"</p><p>When Taeyong looked at the man again, he was shocked to see his long hair floating as if gravity didn't affect it anymore. Yuta had a crazed look in his eyes, an expression that made him look so different from the Yuta who took Taeyong on a long flight and made breakfast for all of them. Almost as if he was possessed.</p><p>"Ancient sorcery." Yuta said, his voice deep and raspy, "Very powerful, too."</p><p>"Was it the Witch of the Waste, Master?"</p><p>Yuta examined the mark up close before answering, "<em>He who catches a falling star, oh, heartless man, your heart shall be mine." </em>The wizard seemed to have snapped out of his trance as he read the inscription out loud. "Oh, well, so much for the table."</p><p>He put his hand over the inscription, moving it slowly while it seemed to ignite a small fire on the table. When Yuta removed his hand, the mark wasn't there anymore. </p><p>"Wow, it's gone!" Taeyong exclaimed.</p><p>"The scorch mark is gone, but the spell is still there," Yuta got up from his seat and took his plate with him. "Please, enjoy your meal."</p><p>He walked towards the fireplace and fed his breakfast to the fire demon, who gladly ate it. "Move the castle 100 kilometers, alright Doyoung?"</p><p>Mark and Taeyong stared at him as the magician started climbing up the stairs, watching him turn around one last time, "Oh, and please send hot water to the bathroom, I need a bath."</p><p>"Not that, too!" Doyoung complained.</p><p>Taeyong then continued eating his breakfast, with Mark looking at him suspiciously. The situation continued for a couple of minutes until the old man decided it was enough. "Spit it out, Mark?"</p><p>"Are you working for the Witch of the Waste?"</p><p>Taeyong turned his head at the speed of light to look at Mark with a shocked expression. "Don't be stupid! She was the one who--"</p><p>But he couldn't keep going. His mouth was closed shut, and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't get the words out.</p><p>"Actually... The Witch... I..." Nothing seemed to work, so he gave up with a loud punch to the table. "Damn it! Just wait until I get my hands on that Witch!"</p><p>He heard the water running from the first floor, but it was probably for the best to not think about Yuta in the bath, so instead he angrily ate his food until there was nothing left on the plate.</p><p>After making sure that Mark ate everything as well, Taeyong decided to put his anger to good use and start cleaning the house.</p><p>Mark helped him get everything he needed --an old broom and a mop, the only cleaning items they had in the castle-- and he started cleaning.</p><p>He started by the ceiling, filled with spiderwebs and home to other insects. The small spiders ran away as soon as Taeyong's broom went near them, but the big ones took a little bit more effort to get rid of. After he was done with that, he decided to mop the floor.</p><p>Mark hung around with him as Taeyong cleaned, telling him stories about weird customers or funny comments Doyoung had said. Taeyong appreciated the company. Before becoming an old man he had spent years holed up in his room, obsessed with making hats, with keeping his father's memory alive. But what Taeyong hadn't realized was that he had lost himself in the process. He hadn't talked with almost anyone outside of his employees and his family, and after chatting for hours with Mark and Doyoung, he suddenly felt like he had missed so much in life by spending it in silence.</p><p>Taeyong decided to clean the fireplace too. He couldn't imagine how Doyoung could live comfortably with mountains of ashes surrounding him.</p><p>"Taeyong, I need more wood," the demon said as he saw the old man approaching him, "I've almost run out of it."</p><p>He paid Doyoung no mind as he grabbed the last piece of wood Doyoung had and put it inside of a metal cup.</p><p>Doyoung yelled while Taeyong picked the wood up, "Taeyong! What are you doing?! I need more wood! I'm about to fall off!"</p><p>Taeyong just rolled his eyes in reply.</p><p>He got to cleaning the ashes, so into it that he completely tuned out Doyoung's complaining, singing the melody of a popular song. Mark had gone out to help customers, and Yuta was still up on the first floor, which meant that if he hadn't been able to hear the demon yelling his name behind him, he would be cleaning in total silence.</p><p>Of course, Doyoung didn't stop yelling, his cries only intensifying by the minute.</p><p>"Taeyong! Taeyong, please I'm slipping!"</p><p>The man threw the ashes on a big banket, grabbing it as he stepped outside to make sure it didn't dirty the floor he had just mopped.</p><p>When he came back inside, he saw Yuta standing next to the fireplace, blowing air into a blue fire. He put new wood on the fireplace and he gently laid Doyoung on it.</p><p>Taeyong was livid. It almost looked as if Doyoung was actually <em>dead</em>.</p><p>He had figured Doyoung was only being dramatic and he wasn't in any kind of danger, but it looked like his cries for help were actually real.</p><p>As he looked up to watch Yuta's face, expecting an angry expression --or at the very least a disappointed one--, he found Yuta's kind eyes looking right back at him. He had given himself a haircut. "Try to not torment my friend, Taeyong."</p><p>Yuta walked to the door, going past Taeyong and Mark, who had just came in.</p><p>He turned around the lever, changing the color the small arrow pointed to black.</p><p>"Are you going out, Master Yuta?" Mark asked, his voice soft.</p><p>Yuta nodded, smiling at the young boy and winking playfully. "I'll be back soon. You're in charge now, don't let our cleaning lady get too carried away, okay?"</p><p>Mark nodded back, straightening his back, obviously proud of being deemed worthy of being in charge of the castle.</p><p>And with one last smile, Yuta opened the door and walked out. The door closed immediately after him, and the color changed back to blue automatically.</p><p>"What did you do, Taeyong?"</p><p>"He abused my powers!" Doyoung cried, "I'll have you know that if I die, Yuta dies with me!"</p><p>"I'm sorry for that, I just thought since you are <em>so</em> powerful you could handle a little time without wood, but I see that's not the case."</p><p>Mark laughed at their bickering, watching as the demon and the old man argued.</p><p>Taeyong cleared his throat, "Well, boys, back to work now."</p><p>"I'm not a <em>boy</em>," Doyoung argued, "I'm Doyoung, the powerful fire demon."</p><p>"Yeah! And I'm not a boy either! I'm grown up now!" exclaimed Mark.</p><p>He rolled up his sleeves, taking his cleaning tools and going up the stairs, ready to get started with the first floor, but he was stopped by Mark. The boy had run out as fast as he could and put himself between Taeyong and the first floor, opening his arms so Taeyong couldn't walk around him.</p><p>"No, not the first floor!" he yelled, looking at Taeyong with pleading eyes.</p><p>"If I were you, I'd put my precious things away in a hurry."</p><p>Mark started running up the stairs towards his room as he yelled, "Save my room for last!"</p><p>After that, the rest of the house was easier to clean. The bathroom was especially filthy though, a bathtub dirtied by a thousand colorful stains, and disorganized jars full of mysterious herbs lying around. The most fun part was the window though.</p><p>When he looked out of it, he saw the Wastes, moving as if he was watching the world from a giant carriage. The view was so pretty, it was a sunny day and the grass looked impossibly green. There was a big lake next to them, one that Taeyong didn't even know existed. The immensity of it all had captivated Taeyong.</p><p>While watching the landscape, Taeyong had an idea, He had noticed a small balcony in the castle the first time he saw it, and it was about time he used it.</p><p>He opened door after door until he found it, going out on it and leaning onto the railing to see everything better. Mark saw it and immediately ran after him.</p><p>"Taeyong! Taeyong, be careful or you will fall!" the young boy said, pulling at Taeyong's shirt and urging him to get farther away from the ledge.</p><p>"How beautiful," the man said, looking into the blue water.</p><p>"It's called Star Lake," Mark said.</p><p>Suddenly, Taeyong saw something moving from the corner of his eye, and it seemed like Mark had seen it too. Taeyong turned around, seeing a big wooden stick moving around, half of it stuck on one of the castle's many holes. It looked familiar, almost like--</p><p>"Oh, poor thing! Lend me a hand, Mark," Taeyong said, rushing to grab the stick with both his hands.</p><p>Mark obediently grabbed the stick as well and they both pulled and pulled with all of their strength until, finally, a scarecrow came out of the hole, jumping onto the balcony happily.</p><p>"You sure like being upside-down, huh?" the man asked, a big smile on his face. The scarecrow returned his smile.</p><p>"Do you know him, Taeyong?"</p><p>"Yes! He's my friend Turnip. He has a turnip for a head, you see."</p><p>Turnip started jumping around on the balcony, and when he got tired of it he jumped on top of the castle and started bouncing up and down again.</p><p>"He seems to have taken a liking to me, he was the one who brought me to the castle. It looks like he even tried to stay with me, too."</p><p>Mark looked incredulously at him, "Are you sure you're not a wizard?"</p><p>Taeyong put on a big grin as he started tickling Mark's tummy, "Oh, yes, I'm the cleanest wizard in the land! I came here to clean up your room and take away all of your toys!"</p><p>Mark couldn't stop laughing while Taeyong tickled him, his loud giggles were probably heard across the entire valley, but Taeyong couldn't care less.</p><p>In that small moment, he finally felt happy.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>hihi! i know i said i would update the story weekly, but sadly i have started school and im not sure if ill be able to update every single week! i wanna quickly apologizee for that, and i also wanna thank everyone who has been reading, giving the story kudos and commenting!! thank u for supporting me i appreciate it a lot mwah &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thank u for reading, i will try to post more chapters as quickly as possible! pls tell me your thoughts in the comments and give me kudos cause i love attention! &lt;3<br/>follow me on twitter[@ashihoemina or @ITYWRID</p></blockquote></div></div>
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